Sometimes with boats, you don’t know how good they are until you give someone else the helm, hop off and take a look for yourself. Watching your boat go by is the best way to get an honest appraisal.
At least that is what crossed my mind as we bobbed around in a RIB with owner Randall Diggs, while the designer of the new L980 Emocean, Dan Leech, did whistling flybys for the camera.
When good design and innovative technology meet meticulous boat building and finish, you’re always going to have something special. The meticulous bit belongs firmly to owner and self-taught boatbuilder, Randall Diggs, who has just launched Emocean. The good design bit comes from Dan Leech, who has established himself as a leading name in the growing market of small semi-displacement power cats in New Zealand.
Combined with the use of semi-foiling technology, the result is exceptional economy, an unbeatable ride, and comfortable cruising. In short, it is impressive.
CONSTRUCTION
Having been converted to the power cat idea with his previous boat, a Leech L875, Randall Diggs set about commissioning a bigger model. Only a metre longer was built at Davie Norris Boat Builders in Christchurch and finished off by Randall over an 18-month period, most of it during the Covid pandemic.
